Yami's sick days
by mysticdragon2016
Summary: Atem has been living with Yugi and his grandfather under the name of Yami, when Yami gets sick, Yugi steps in to care for him. YamixYugi relationship story.
1. Chapter 1

Yugi sat down on the edge of the bed with a concerned look. Yami was pale and listless, something Yugi wasn't used to when it came to the former pharaoh. The young duelist placed a hand on Yami's forehead and sighed.

"You have a high fever. How do you feel?"Yugi's concern was audible. Yami didn't reply, he simply closed his eyes. His entire body ached. The heat from his fever only added to the discomfort. He moaned softly at the churning and pain in his abdomen.

"Hey, do you want me to stay home today,you look really-"

"No. I can manage, Your grandfather needs you to help him-"

"He'll understand."Yugi insisted not wanting to leave Yami in his current condition.

"That's not necessary It's not as if-"

"I know, it's just that you're important to me and...I want to take care of you. I don't like to see you sick like this."Yugi took his hand, stroking it lovingly with his thumb. "If he needs some help, maybe I can ask Joey or Tristan if they can stop by and help him for the day. I should be here with you today."He insisted, before Yami could reply a soft knock at the door caught their attention.

Solomon stood in the doorway, a look of concern in his eyes.

"Are you two alright?" He asked moving closer to the bed.

"Yami's sick. He's got a fever." Yugi informed the man before Yami could reply.

"Is that so, you do look pale, how are you feeling?" he asked kindly, gently pressing a hand to Yami's head.

'you have quite a fever."'

"I'm-"

"Yami, it's alright, everyone gets sick at some point in their lives. When that happens, it's okay to say so. Tell me what's wrong."

"everything hurts, I feel as if I'm going to be sick."

"I see, it sounds like you might have the stomach flu, I think it's best for you to stay in bed and rest until that fever comes down. If it's not down by tomorrow, I'll take you to see the doctor. Yugi, you should stay with him today, He'll need to be looked after, I can manage at the shop today."

"Really, I'm-"

"The matter has been settled, I won't hear another word about it. Rest is the best thing for you right now."Yami sighed, there was no point in arguing.

"I need to be going now, if you boys need anything, call me and I'll come home. I'll see you both tonight."

"Bye Grandpa, don't worry, we'll be fine." Yugi and Yami watched the man leave.

"Do you need anything, do you want some toast?"Yami shook his head.

"I don't think I can take anything at the moment. If I need it, I can get it myself, you don't have to concern yourself."

"I want to take care of you. You're the reason I have my Grandpa, it's the least I can do." Yugi said with a reassuring smile.

"And you were kind enough to have me stay here, to treat me like family. I'd go so far as to say that-"

"I love you, you know that. I want to do this, you're not a burden to me. When you love someone, you make sure they get what they need. You need rest and you've more than earned the right to. You don't have to be so strong all the time." Yami seemed to think it over silently, gazing into Yugi's eyes and finding sincerity and love reflected in them, he settled himself back against the pillows.

"Alright Yugi, I'll try." His temperature was getting to him and his vision was beginning to blur. Yami closed his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"It's too warm in here." Yugi frowned.

"It's your fever, Do you feel good enough for me to leave the room for a few minutes?" Yami nodded and felt Yugi stand up.

"I'll be right back, just lie still and try to relax."

 _who can rest with this level of discomfort?_ Yami thought to himself as Yugi exited the room. The ill boy couldn't stand to be under the cover any longer and kicked it off. He was snapped back into awareness by the nausea and soon found himself in the bathroom with mere seconds to spare, unaware that Yugi had been on his way back.

The sound of retching reached Yugi's ears, He hated it when Yami wasn't well. Yugi carried a tray into the bedroom, on it was a bowl of water, a pitcher and several cloths. He placed the items on the bedside table and walked to the bathroom door. It was silent now.

"Hey, are you alright?"He called.

"I-I'm fine, I'll be out shortly. I just need-" The voice was weak and strained.

"did you finish?"

"Yes."

"Yami-" Yugi placed his hand on the doorknob. "Are you away from the door?"

"You don't need to come in here, just give me some time."Yugi was already entering. His heart broke at the sight of Yami sitting on the floor, leaning his head against the cool tiled wall, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Yugi knelt down next to him.

"Oh Yami, you must feel really sick. Do you think you can get back to bed?"

"Not yet, I-I'm not sure I can stand." Yugi moved to the sink, taking one of the wash cloths from the counter and ran it under cool water, squeezing out the extra and returning to Yami.

"Lie back, we'll go back when you're ready." Yugi said sitting down next to him and pulling him down to rest Yami's head on his lap. He put the cloth on Yami's forehead

Yami relaxed as the cool object touched his heated skin.

"That's better isn't it, it's a good thing I didn't go with Grandpa today. Just let me know when you're ready to get up, but don't push yourself,I'll sit here as long as you need me to." Yami shifted uncomfortably, the action didn't go unnoticed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it'll pass."

"Is it your stomach, you could've pulled a muscle when you got sick. You should talk to me about this so I know how to help you."Yugi encouraged.

"Moving hurts, breathing in , everything hurts." Yugi reached out, covering his friend's hand with his own.

"When we get you back to bed, I'll bring you the heating pad." After resting a while longer, Yugi and Yami attempted to get back to their room, resulting in Yaami leaning on Yugi for support, trying to ignore the intensifying pain as they walked.

"I'm sorry Love, I know it hurts. We're almost there."Yugi said sympathetically. After what felt like an eternity to Yami, they managed to get him back in bed.

"I'll be right back, try not to move around too much. After I get the heating pad, I'll call grandpa and see if we can-"

"It can wait until he comes home" the ill boy insisted. Yugi nodded, not wanting to make the situation worse. "Don't worry about anything, I'll take good care of you."

"I know you will, I'm just sorry you have to."

"Don't be. I love you Yami."Yugi leaned down to kiss him only to have Yami place a hand on his chest.

"I love you too Yugi. I don't want to make you sick." Yugi smiled, taking hold of his hand and pressing his lips to Yami's.

"I'm not worried about it and I don't want you to be either. Rest now," He said before setting about the task of finding the required object, he felt bad for Yami, this would be a difficult experience for both of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Yugi laid on his side in his own bed, keeping a watchful eye on Yami. The ill boy had finally fallen asleep after an hour and a half. Yugi found himself feeling grateful that Yami was able to have a small break from his illness.

 _Poor Yami, it breaks my heart to see you go through this. If I could take it away from you, take your place somehow,I'd do it in a heartbeat,_ Yugi thought to himself. He waited several more minutes before standing up and walking to the door, he turned back for one more glance at the sleeping boy, then he turned and made his way to the kitchen.

Yugi moved to the cupboard and took out a glass and proceeded to the sink, filling it with water. He turned, leaning against the sink and taking a sip from his cup. He glanced at the clock on the wall.

 _Not even noon._ He thought _Grandpa won't be home for hours. Maybe Yami will sleep for a while._ Yugi walked back into the hall and was just about to return to his and Yami's room when the phone rang. He hurried to answer it.

"Hello?"He said into the receiver.

"Yugi, I was just calling to check in with you. How's Yami?"

"Not good Grandpa, he got sick after you left and he just fell asleep not long ago."Yugi explained.

"I'll call the doctor when I get home, he-"

"I'm not sure we should move him, he had a hard time getting back in bed, I think he really hurt his stomach, he could barely walk." Solomon remained silent.

"Grandpa, what should we do?"

"Let him rest when he can, we'll see how he feels later. Keep a close eye on him for now. That's all we can do at the moment. Did you try the heating pad?"

"Yes, it helped a little."

"Well, keep it close, He may want it when he wakes up, don't put it on too high, too much heat isn't good for his fever, I'll come home a little early today."Solomon promised.

"Grandpa, do you think Yami's going to be okay?"

"Of course he will. Yami's going to be fine."Solomon assured his grandson. "I know it might look worrying, after all you're not used to him being this way but we'll have him feeling better in no time."After hanging up with his grandfather, Yugi hurried back toward the room.

"Yami" he gasped, hurrying inside. The ill boy was now awake, lying on the floor in obvious pain. Beside him, the waste basket that had been near Yugi's desk.

"Yami, love, what happened?" Yugi knelt down beside him, noticing the tears in his eyes. Yami didn't reply, instead he lay still, allowing Yugi to stroke his hair.

"I need you to talk to me, how did you get down here?"

"I was feeling sick, I tried to get up but I wasn't able to-"

"You were sick again, but you haven't eaten anything, How can you-"

"There was nothing in my stomach, but I still felt like I needed to, Yugi, it hurts."

"I know it does, let's get you back in bed, I'm sure it didn't help your pulled muscle. Will you let me help you up?" Yami didn't offer a reply.

"You should see a doctor, Grandpa's coming home a little early and we can call one. "Yami braced himself as Yugi carefully helped him up. Yami moaned softly at pain and returning nausea.

"Lie still now." Yugi instructed pulling the cover over Yami. "I'll get the heating pad."Within seconds, Yugi was placing the device gently on Yami's belly, then he sat on the bed beside him, taking his hand.

"I'm sorry. Yugi."Yami said weakly. "I've become such a bother to you. Perhaps I should have left you to your life when the chance-"

"Don't say that Yami. I don't ever want you to leave and I told you, I want to be here to help you. The stomach flu is bad enough, but when you have so much pain, you need someone to take care of you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me .Everything's going to be fine."Yami rested his free hand on top of Yugi's.

"Thank you."

"Thank me by getting better. I want you to try to take small sips of water, you haven't had any for a while and dehydration isn't going to make you any better."Yami nodded. He forced himself to sit up just long enough to drink, doing his best to ignore the pain.

"try to get some rest now. "Yugi waited several minutes before removing the heating pad and allowing Yami to drift back into sleep. He made his way back to his bed to wait for his grandfather to arrive.

He wasn't sure how Yami would be able to see the doctor if it caused him such pain to simply sit up, the boy certainly couldn't tolerate walking down the stairs or the car ride. He knew Solomon would know how to handle it. For now, they would just have to wait."


	3. Chapter 3

"Yugi, why don't you sit down and relax, He'll be fine." Solomon watched Yugi pace nervously outside the bedroom door. Upon returning home and being informed of Yami's condition, Solomon contacted an old friend who ran his own doctor's office in the neighboring town and explained the situation. Both Yugi and Solomon were grateful to him.

"I know, I just wish I could be there with him. I'm really worried."Solomon placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders.

"Yugi, my boy, I know that waiting to hear news from a loved one who's not feeling well is one of the hardest things in life. But try to keep in mind that he-"The soft creak interrupted Solomon's sentence and Yugi turned immediately toward the sound.

A tall, thin man wearing a white jacket emerged from the room.

"How's Yami, is he alright?"Yugi didn't wait for the doctor to speak before posing his question fearfully.

"Let's all have a seat."the doctor suggested. Yugi's heart sank as they sat down on the floor.

"Mike, did you-"Solomon was silenced by the doctor holding up a hand.

"Let me give you the information you brought me here for, then you two can ask me anything you want." he turned his attention to Yugi.

"Yugi, you need to relax, the only reason I asked that we sit down is because I was concerned about you, you paled pretty quickly and a lot of the time when that happens, people faint. That's not going to help Yami at all. You mentioned to me that he's been vomiting and it caused a lot of stomach pain and he's been a little weak since then. When you vomit, especially to the point that nothing's left, you have to understand that your body's losing its fuel, the nutrition that keeps it going, so the weakness is actually normal in this case, that's not to say you shouldn't keep offering him something he might be able to tolerate, if he doesn't eat today, don't worry, his body's been through a lot."Yugi nodded, waiting to hear the rest of the report.

"Having said this, a good bit of the pain he's feeling is in fact caused by an abdominal strain or as you called it a pulled muscle. It's not the worst of its kind but it's something that needs to be watched closely. If it gets much worse, he could need to go to the hospital and have surgery to fix it." Yugi shook his head.

"Yami would never go to the hospital, what can we do for him here?"

"Bed rest, medicine for pain, keep doing what you're doing now. I'd like to give him something for pain that'll also help with his fever. To do that with this particular medication which would be in the form of an injection, someone would need to stay there with him for the next several hours."

"I can do that."Yugi said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Yami needs me, I can be there for him."

"I'm also calling in a couple prescriptions, he's to start them in the afternoon tomorrow, he'll be getting enough with injection to get him through until then. Yugi, if he sleeps a lot, that's alright, he needs as much rest as possible, it could very well be that he sleeps until some time tomorrow morning. Just remember not to panic."

"So he's going to be alright then?"

"As it stands now, Yami will be just fine, it'll take a couple weeks for his stomach to heal but when he feels like he can tolerate it, he can start sitting up and moving around slowly .not too much at once"

"Right."

"do you have any other questions?"

"I can't think of anything, Grandpa, can you?"Solomon shook his head.

"Not currently, you've explained everything pretty well I think."the group stood up,Yugi felt slightly better after hearing the doctor say Yami would be fine.

"Alright, let's head into the room and get started." Yugi entered ahead of the others, rushing to the bed where Yami lay in pain. Yugi reached out, stroking the ill boy's hair.

"hey,Love."He said quietly.

"Y-Yugi-"

"Shh, it's alright, the doctor's going to give you some medicine to help with the pain, okay?"Yami nodded.

"I'll be right here, don't worry about anything."

"I'm not worried, not while you're with me."

"Yami, I'm going to give you a couple injections, one's to help stop the vomiting and the other to bring down your fever and ease your pain. It'll make you sleep. You're okay with needles?"

"Yes."Yami replied, allowing the doctor to give the injections.

"You really are brave Yami, I don't like them at all."Yugi commented.

"There's a difference between not liking them and being afraid of them. I'm not fond of them myself, but they don't scare me."

"Will you drink something before you get too tired?"

"Not now, I'm sorry."Yami hated himself for the sadness in Yugi's eyes.

"Please, this is important, especially with your fever and vomiting, you could be asleep for a while."

"Yugi-"

"Yami, please, I know I ask a lot from you sometimes, well a lot of the time, but this is really important to me. You can get a lot sicker if you dehydrate, we talked about that."Yugi's frightened tone hurt the ill boy's heart "Just a small sip, like before."

"I don't feel like I can-"

"Yami, if I can make it so you don't have to move too much, will you please try...for me?"

"Yes. You know I would do anything in the world for you."Yugi leaned over, pressing his lips to Yami's.

"I do know that and by now you should know I feel the same way. I will always find a way Yami, you're precious to me."After one more kiss, Yugi crossed the room to his bed. He grabbed his pillows and returned.

"I'm going to prop you up just a little bit and I'll hold the glass for you so you won't have to move."

Yami squeezed his eyes shut as he was forced to sit up slightly, allowing Yugi to rearrange the pillows behind him. Yugi then leaned him back in his arms. He reached for the glass of cool water.

"Here Yami, drink this, it'll help,even if it doesn't seem that way right now."Yami opened his eyes, slowly sipping from the glass. When he had finished, Yugi set it back in place and carefully lowered Yami down, he then placed a cool, damp cloth on his head, Once again settling himself next to his cherished Yami.

"Are they always like this Solomon?" Mike asked watching in curiosity. Solomon nodded.

"As rare as it is for their age, they truly and deeply love each other, when one is ill, the other steps in to care for him. It's rare that Yami feels sick but when it happens, he never goes through it alone."

"Quite impressive for someone so young." the taller man commented.

"Yes, but then again it's not that surprising, after all, Yugi and Yami are both impressive themselves."


	4. Chapter 4

"Thanks Joey, I really appreciate you doing this."Yugi said, with a yawn, taking the bag from his friend.

"No problem Yuge. I was over that way anyhow. How's Yami feeling today?"

"He's about the same, the only change is with this medicine, he hasn't vomited, he still feels a little weak and won't eat anything. Do you want to come in for a minute?"

"Yeah, thanks."Joey stepped inside and waited for his friend to close the door.

"Do you want something to drink, or a snack, everything's in the kitchen, you're welcome to whatever's in there.

"I'm good. You okay, you look exhausted."

"I'm fine, I don't sleep much when Yami's sick. He tells me I should but when I try, I keep thinking if he needs me and I'm asleep I can't help him. He's not supposed to be out of bed right now so I have to-"

"Hey, I get it, but Yuge, how can you do anything for him if you're like this, doctor said he'd be fine, right?"

"Yeah, We talked about it, Yami said I should try to sleep. He was still a bit out of it though, The medication the doctor gave him last night really put him out yesterday.. He still worries about me, even when he's sick."

"Of course he does. It wouldn't be Yami if he didn't try to talk you out of being worried. "Joey replied as they entered the room. Yugi sighed. Yami rested quietly in bed, listening to the television that Yugi and Solomon had moved in earlier that day.

"Yami, are you awake?"Yugi called softly.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I wouldn't say it's unfortunate." Yugi said opening the bag

"If you were in my position, you would understand my reasoning."Yami replied opening his eyes to give Yugi a side glance before closing them again.

"Hello Joey."Yami greeted after another moment.

"Hey Yami, how's it goin'?"

"Not great."

"Yeah, I hear ya. Being sick sucks, get better quick, it'd be cool if we could all hang out again." A moment of silence passed. Yugi removed the medications and a bottle of orange liquid.

"Hey, Yami, Joey went down to get your medicine so I could sit with you, he brought you a couple sports drinks to help you stay hydrated too."

"Thank you Joey, I appreciate you going."

"eh, no big deal. I figured with you being stuck in bed, you'd need Yugi around."

"It's a good thing you did. Yami really did need me. Yami, can you take your medicine and drink some of this, it's still cool. I can put the rest of them in the fridge." the ill boy didn't reply.

"Yami?"Yami opened his eyes slowly, his violet eyes looked up into Yugi's.

"I need you to take this, then you can sleep." Joey watched Yugi help Yami take the medicine and couldn't help feeling bad for the pair.

 _With Yami being so sick, it's gotta be tough on Yugi, but Yami's got a lot to deal with._ Joey thought to himself.

"Hey, Yuge, want me to take them down to the kitchen?"

"You don't have to, but if you want to, that would be great."Yugi handed the bag to his friend.

"If you guys need anything else, just let m know."Joey said making his way out of the room, leaving Yugi to place a cool, damp cloth on Yami's forehead.

"You haven't slept." Yami stated.

"I have, just not-"

"You were up every time I looked over at you last night and the night before." Yugi looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't know you were awake, you should've said something."Yugi felt guilt grip his heart.

"I was hoping you would finally go to sleep. You shouldn't exhaust yourself over something like this. You and I have had this talk before."

"I know we have, Yami, but your fever and the pain you have, I don't want you to have to worry about anything right now. I need to know that you're alright and if you need the heating pad or you can't sleep because you hurt-"

"I'll rest much better if I know you're taking care of yourself as well. I'm not dying and I don't need constant attention, You can sleep when you need to."

"Yami-"

"Come here Yugi." Yami requested, watching as Yugi lowered himself onto the bed. The former Pharaoh pulled Yugi closer.

"What are you-"

"Lie down." Yami invited gently as Yugi began to yawn.

"I don't want to hurt you, Yami. You said it hurt when the doctor-"Yugi fretted.

'You're not going to hurt me, just lie still and everything will be fine. " Yugi allowed himself to lie down, his head resting on Yami's chest. Yugi's eyes began to close, but still he fought against the fatigue.

"If you need something-"

"You'll be right beside me, I'll wake you if I need to."Yami said, though he had no intention of disturbing Yugi for any reason.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. It always helps you sleep."

"That's because you're a comfort to me Yami,when I'm close to you, I know everything's going to be okay."Yugi replied softly.

"You guys need anything before I head out?"Joey asked returning from the kitchen.

"We should be fine, Yugi's grandfather will be home shortly. Thank you again."Yami said as Yugi settled in close to him.

"If you do need anything, gimme a call."Yami smiled faintly and nodded. After saying goodbye to Joey,Yami too fell asleep, his arm still around Yugi.

When Yami opened his eyes later that day, he found Yugi still lying beside him,this time the teen was awake.

"How are you feeling?"Yugi asked with concern.

"tired mostly." Yami felt a gentle hand reach up to his forehead,

"It's kind of hard to tell if there's a difference, your fever should've come down at least a little by now."

"I don't believe it's worse, whether or not it's stayed the same, it's a good sign that it didn't rise."

"I'm not hurting you am I?"

"No. Did you sleep much?"

"more than I have been. Thank you for letting me stay over here with you. Can I ask you to do something else for me?" Yugi raised his head to look into Yami's eyes.

"That depends on what it is I suppose."

"If I bring it to you, will you try to eat something?" Yami sighed.

"Yugi, I'm not-"

"I know you're not really hungry, but it'll keep your strength up. I'm not asking you to eat a lot, just a little bit of soup. If all you can handle is a spoonful, that's okay, just try. "

"I don't think it's a good idea, I wouldn't mind having a drink." Yugi sat up and took hold of the bottle of orange liquid. He brought the bottle to Yami's lips, watching him sip slowly. After only a few sips, Yami rested his head back on the pillows and Yugi returned the item to the bedside table. Yugi glanced at the clock.

"Grandpa should be back by now, will you try, please?" Yami remained silent, weighing his options.

"I don't think so, maybe tomorrow." Yugi frowned.

"Are you sure, I just want you to be okay, and with you feeling so-"

"I know. Everything is fine." Yugi merely nodded.

"I'm going to say see if Grandpa's in. Do you want me to get you anything?"

"No. I'll just lie down and watch the tv, when you come back, would you like to join me?"Yami invited.

"Yeah, I'd like that."Yugi kissed Yami's forehead and left the room. It wasn't long before he found Solomon in the living room reading the newspaper.

"Yugi, my boy, did you sleep well?" the teen sat down on the couch.

"You were up there?" Solomon nodded.

"I went to check on you when I came home, you were both asleep so I came back down here. Is something wrong, you seem upset."

"It's Yami, the doctor said to keep offering food but he won't even try. He asked me for a drink but I asked if he would try some soup but he's-"Solomon put down his newspaper,

"Yugi, you were also told that he's been through a lot and not to worry."

"For the rest of the day, that was yesterday, he's got medicine now, shouldn't he feel better?"

"It takes time. Yami's going to be just fine, if you want me to, I'll go up and talk to him. Maybe he's just not ready, he does have a lot of pain to deal with."

"I know. Would you mind going up?'

"Alright Yugi, you go get something to eat and take a break, I'll be down as soon." Solomon rose from his chair, and made his way up the stairs, sure that he knew exactly what was happening.


	5. Chapter 5

Solomon knocked gently, catching Yami's attention.

"Yami, my boy, do you feel well enough to talk for a few minutes?" the old an asked approaching the bed. Yami nodded.

"I know it's difficult for you, I've had my share of injuries as a young man, I can't say I've ever hurt my stomach like you have, so I don't know what that feels like. I'm sure it's very painful, possibly even traumatic to an extent, what I mean is when you were being sick the pains were getting worse, that can give you anxiety when it comes to moving around or-"

"He told you I wasn't eating, didn't he?" Solomon nodded.

"Yes. He's very worried about you, you haven't been allowing him to see the full extent of your illness, he sees only what you're unable to keep from him. You have to understand that because it's so rare that he sees you feeling ill at all, he gets very concerned, he loves you dearly and one of Yugi's greatest fears is that he'll lose you."

"He won't."Yami replied.

"I know, in many ways, you're his security, he's safe with you and he knows it. You do tend to shield him from certain things, which isn't always wrong. You see, there are different kinds of people in the world, ones that are protectors and those that need protecting, Yugi is somewhere between that but you Yami, are definitely a protector. Yugi looks to you for many things and in your current condition, it's hard for him to see one of the strongest people in his life, and the one he loves more than anything-"

"I never meant to scare him, Solomon."

"I know, can you tell me why you won't at least try?"

"I'm just not ready,I don't think I can."Yami admitted.

"Is it because you're in pain or is it something else?"Yami didn't answer.

"Do you remember when Yugi told you that you don't always have to be strong, maybe he wants to be given the chance to show you how much he loves you, sometimes that means you need to allow yourself to show everything you're feeling. are you afraid to try?" Yami nodded.

"Yes. If I get sick again, I'll only make it worse, and I really don't feel like I want anything."

"I understand, but it's important, not just to your health, but to Yugi and myself. I love you as my own grandson, Yami, if you don't eat, you can get sicker and end up needing to go to the hospital. If Yugi's this upset and you're lying in your own bed, how would he feel if he saw you there?"

"It would scare him more."

"That's right, so let's try this, I'll give you one more day, if you can't eat tomorrow, I'll ask Mike to come back and we'll see what he says. Just keep in mind that you haven't been getting sick with your medicine that's why you have it Yami."Solomon said gently.

"I know, it's ridiculous to be-"

"No, It's more normal than you might think. Try to relax and rest. Give some thought to what we talked about. For Yugi's sake."

"I will. I'm sorry for being-"

"Nonsense, you're no trouble at all. You're family, and family takes care of each other."Solomon gave Yami a reassuring smile before returning to his newspaper and leaving him to his thoughts.

Yami careful reached over to the bedside table, grabbing the heating pad, he turned it on and gently placed it on his abdomen, the warmth was soothing and Yami relaxed against his pillows. He knew Yugi would be returning soon and he had a lot to think about before then.

Yugi would simply have to be put first, regardless of Yami's fears. There was no use in frightening him anymore than he already was. Solomon was right, Yugi often turned to him and needed him to do everything he could to get better quickly. It was unfair to be selfish now.

"Yami, do you still want me to sit with you?"Yugi asked softly, he moved into the room carrying a glass of water and a thermometer. He placed the glass on the table and sat down.

"I just want to make sure your fever isn't too high." Yami allowed him to put the device under his tongue and both waited silently. Sensing Yugi's concern, Yami reached out and gently squeezed his hand.

"You're always so good to me Yami. Even when you're sick, you comfort me. It should be the other way around." After several minutes, Yugi removed the thermometer and examined it.

"It came down, but just a tiny bit. I'm sorry that I keep trying to push you into things. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"I know you don't. We've been through this many times, it won't do you any good to keep worrying about something that's not a possibility. You're right, I should be trying to do certain things. I'm sorry I've scared you, that was never my intention."

"It's not your fault. I get worried when someone I love very much is sick or hurt. "

"I know you do, that's something you and I can work on. I haven't exactly been helping you feel better about it."Yugi laid down next to Yami.

"You're not upset at me then?"

"For what, for caring about me?"Yami pulled him closer.

"For pushing you and acting like this, I'm not strong like you are. I bet you wish I'd just-"

"My only wish for you, if you really want to know, is for you to be happy, healthy and know how much I love you. Caring for someone is not a weakness, it shows great strength. Not everyone has the dedication it takes or the patience even if the ill person is someone very close to them."

"if something ever happened to you, Yami, my world would break apart. How can I not look after you?""

"I understand your feeling, Yugi, I'll make you a promise. At some point tomorrow, I'll make an attempt to eat something, but I need you to know that I'll have to start slowly. I don't want you to be upset if I can't-"

"I promise I'll try not to. Can I-"the young duelist allowed his voice to trail off. Yami smiled faintly.

"Yes, as long as you remember to be very still." Yugi laid his head gently on his friend's chest, listening to the soft beating of Yami's heart as the two settled in to watch one of their favorite television shows.


End file.
